The laws and customs pertaining succession to the throne in the Kingdom of England were, in normal times, simple. The eldest legitimate surviving son of the monarch automatically succeeded his father on the throne after his father's death. If the monarch did not have surviving sons but had surviving brothers, then the eldest of those would rule. The formal name for this succession method is agnatic primogeniture. But what if the King had no surviving legitimate male heirs? Then things became a little more complicated and invited the rule of men and women whose legitimacy was not beyond reproach. I will examine the famous cases where men and women obtained or almost obtained the crown despite the stain of being born or alleged to have been born in sin (out of wedlock.)
